Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Thankful for Everyday Life Link-Up

 Thankful for pictures like this,
so I can dream of warmer days,
of God's awesomeness in creating a world 
where this can be happening and going on the very same time
 that this is happening in our part of the world.
 Struggling this year to see the beauty
in our winters...but it's there.
 Thankful bright, fresh flowers can help brighten my view just a little.
 Thankful these fuse beads were taken out this week
 and we have a few new masterpieces...
 Thankful for cute pink cowboy boots
 (if you can call Wal-mart boots actual "Cowboy" boots?!!?)
They are adorable on her and were only 11 bucks...so I caved
she's barely taken them off since we got them.
 Thankful for these cutie pies...
 hugging and fighting and hugging.
(and giggling and fighting and screaming and playing, running and jumping)
That's how our days are now...
 Thankful for our Easy Bake Oven given to us years and years ago from Aunti Heidi
 They had a baking day the other day...
 Thankful the older kids helped the little kids with it,
they baked with it all afternoon!
(because it takes that long to make just a few cakes)
 Thankful 
Oh, what's not to be Thankful in these two?
Thankful the big kids braved the cold the other day
(we are in another cold snap in MN)


 while the littles and I baked cookies!!
Thankful for little helping hands
 And a little watcher patiently waiting his turn
 Thankful I am able to keep track what we've put in and what we have not
 Always Thankful for this
 And Thankful for that chocolate cookie smell in our warm kitchen
 that make the perfect "special treat" for dessert

 My recipe, you ask?
The back of the bag.
Thankful the back of the bag is always a perfect recipe.
(Yay dark, Yay dark!)
 Thankful for paper plates.
Yes, we use them every day at lunch.
 They are a lifesaver.
Am I the only one?
(ummm, that would be one of my kids that eats the hot dog from both ends...)
 Thankful for learning the "plastic knife trick"
Do you know this already?
 (not my picture)
regular knife (like I've always used before this) on the right
plastic knife, on the left.


Plastic knife, perfect cut every time...
Isn't that amazing?
Makes me want to bake some brownies
Thankful I got to go on a date with my husband 
We went to TGI Fridays
I had a burger, it looked like this
This is the reason I could never be a vegetarian.
I need a burger once in a while.
(the rest of the time, I could be a vegetarian though)
 Thankful we found this awesome deal at Wal-mart yesterday, 
on my way to pick up some bird seed 
we spied this once 90 dollar doll house
for 20 bucks!!
20 bucks!!
I came home and told Tom about it and he went back and got it for the girls
(My husband bought me the dream house I've always wanted) 

Yes, I fell in love with him again. 

Thankful my daughter also spied this once 60 or 70 dollar Barbie cruise ship 
for 17 bucks!!
(she paid for it herself) 


Hours of fun, I tell you, hours of fun.


Thankful for a little Steve Winwood in the kitchen while I'm cooking.
(music and Jesus always cheers me up)


28 comments:

  1. Yay for Wal-mart!! We got our grandgirls boots there the other day! Enjoy seeing pictures of your sweet kids-our grands are the same way-either best buddies or fighting!

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    1. I know! We hit it on the right day that's for sure!

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  2. Never, ever knew about the plastic knife and brownies!!!!
    How did I not?!?!?
    And love your Walmart finds...
    Your kids will have hours and hours of fun with that dollhouse! : )
    Have a good, cozy evening, my dear friend...

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    1. I know!! Isn't that cool? One of our homeschool friends told me her mom said it's a "ancient homeschool-mom secret" hahah!
      (I should have put that in the post) She brought brownies to our Valentine party and I started with a regular knife and then switched to a plastic knife and it worked!!
      It was so cool!

      Now go bake some brownies!! (wink!)

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  3. What a great find at the store!!

    Is TGI Fridays a good restaurant? We don't have any around where we live.

    I love all the pictures and thanks for sharing the plastic knife idea!

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    1. TGI Fridays--yes, very good...we just went for burgers...and I had a salad!

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  4. That plastic knife and brownies...totally amazing and I will try it out. Yippee for great finds at wal-mart! that house is super cooL!
    glad to hear you and tom got out and had a super yummy meal. I cannot imagine we will every get to bbq again with this crazy weather.
    glad the kids are having a good winter inside and out. I ruined my cookies the other day so need to make new ones. stay warm!!! and sweetie pie looks great in her new boots. Ava always wore pink ones like that when she was little. I need to get to YOUR walmart!

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    1. MY Wal-mart? I actually go to YOURS...I like it better. I do go to MINE once in a while, like for birdseed, or quick things....that is where I found the deals!! That house had furniture in it too!

      I can't imagine the snow melting....can't wait though!

      Forget cookies--make brownies!! (and cut with a plastic knife!)

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    2. Why my Wal-Mart?? Very interesting. Yours is like 1 mile away from you! is it the stuff? The people? just curious.

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    3. I don't like the one by me for several reasons, the layout of the store (sucks), they are not as big, and run out of things quicker, they don't have as much selection, the people that work there are mostly young people and do not know anything in the way of helping...or bagging...It's OK for quick things we run out of, like bananas and fruit or whatever, but otherwise, the store by you is memorized, I make my list in the order of the store...I can find things quicker and I pick my favorite cashiers to go to!

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    4. Cool..wonder why we never run into each other!!! I also like knowing where everything is. I can never go to Cash Wise..drives me crazy!

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  5. I love your thankful posts! Your family is so sweet and I love the picture of Jesus in the window so you can remember Him always :-) I'm with you about burgers...sometimes nothing else will do! Thanks for reminding us to be thankful for the many blessings God gives us every day!

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    1. Thank you Deb!! That picture of Jesus (Sacred Heart) is there to remind me when I'm slaving in the kitchen, to remember why I do it all...for Him!!

      You are welcome!!

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  6. Sorry for that cold snap! It's pushed its way down here even. But the flowers in the kitchen sure brighten things up :) The boots! They like mighty fine to me and I bet she could sleep in them if you let her ;) The deals...awesome! Doesn't that make you feel like you just beat the system when you walk out the door with those kinds of deals? I never knew that about the plastic knife. NEVER. That's awesome to know. We use paper whenever the dish washer needs to be empty and we don't have time, or if all the plates are dirty. I keep a steady supply in the pantry. I now have that Steve Winwood song in my mind. I love that song! Hope you all have a good rest of your week!

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    1. Sleeping in those boots...so funny you say that, because I'm surprised she did NOT, she put them right at the end of her bed though, so when she got up, she could put them on!!

      Awesome deals do make you feel like "it's a steal!" or I feel like, I got garage sale prices at a store with brand new stuff!!

      You have a good rest of your week too!

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  7. I just did my first link-up ever. At least, I think I did it right.
    Great thankfuls on your post here. Seems like none of us knew about the plastic knife trick.
    That dollhouse is awesome. They are always so overpriced. You did well.
    That picture of the two littles licking the batter is priceless.
    Good luck with all that snow. Makes living in PA look like a cake-walk.

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    1. Yay!! You linked up perfectly! I loved your Thankful's!

      I'm pretty sure that doll house will get a lot of use...as I am listening to them playing with it right now...even Simeon likes to play "puppies" in it!

      Oh, the snow...I am just so happy March is almost here, because that means April is next and then hopefully the snow will melt!

      Thanks for linking up Kathleen!

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  8. I agree, every once in a while I need a burger BUT I do try to keep meat to a minimum! I love all your photos, but all that snow WOW, just WOW!

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    1. 9Peas...maybe I should just go vegetarian and have that burger once in a while?

      That snow is not that bad....really, it's the cold that makes the winter long...we can't even play in it. The high today is below zero with a terrible wind chill...

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  9. Beautiful! I would love to come play in your snow sometime!
    Aren't date night so important?? I think they are so good for the kids too. They see we are dedicated to making our marriages a priority and that can be nothing but a good lesson for their futures!

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    1. You should come play in our snow!! We would have a blast!!

      I love date nites...it's just so nice to actually COMPLETE a sentence!! And the quiet...I love it.

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  10. You have no idea what a day brightener your thankful posts are! You are truly a bringer of God's light into this world, my friend. I love your dream house!

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    1. Oh, thanks Shelly!! You are too!

      I love my dream house, I've wanted one since I was a little girl!

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  11. I use paper plates for lunch every day, too! If I didn't, we'd be running the dishwasher 3 times a day and that's just too much for me! I cut my brownies with plastic knives as well - a tip I came across a few years back and it really does work! Oohhhh - date nights! Love these whenever and wherever we can fit them in. Totally different world for us now that we have children old enough to babysit for us! And my favorite part of your post - that your girls still play with Barbies! My girls still do, too! :-)

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    1. oops! I see that hubby signed me out. It's me - Heather over at happymomonline!

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    2. That is the reason we use paper plates, (the cheap ones) because of running the dishwasher so much...!! Oh, I agree about the date nights, now that we have older kids we can do it, we usually do a date afternoon, or early dinner kind of thing, and we've never been gone too long, only maybe an hour and a half...we love it though. I love going on errands with my husband too.

      With that dream house, I want to play Barbies too!! hahah!

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  12. So sweet. I think winter looks best after a storm. It's the cloudy days and those when the snow is all yucky that get to me. But fresh snow, even after a looong winter, stirs a new start feeling in my heart. With that said, I am ready for spring!

    The doll house, the cruise ship, the easy bake oven, the beads! I would have been in heaven as a girl at your house.

    I always used Nestle's recipe too. Yum.

    I'm so happy you had a date night. Your dinner looks fabulous.

    I'll have to remember the plastic knife trick. I hate when chunks come out when I try to cut them (or... not, as I like to eat those chunks).

    And paper plates. I used to hate using them (more trash and all) but now I save them for bad health stretches to minimize dishes. Of course, having a dishwasher again helps tremendously in that department. I still prefer to use real plates if I can though. Part of me can't stand the waste - of resources and money in the long run.

    Have a good weekend! I'm sure you're in the path of another snow blast just as we are if the weather map is true. In like a lion, out like a lamb. Let's hope. :)

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    1. OH, you are right about winter looking so pretty after it snows....but after a few days there are foot prints, dirt and just crap and it looks so dirty...I don't mind the snow, it's the cold, when it's too cold to play in it, that stinks and we've had a lot of those days this winter. (a ton)

      I know, my girls are pretty blessed to have all the things they have. You can bet I tell them that too!! haha!

      We get the cheapie paper plates, so it's totally worth it to me and I don't feel guilty about it (too much anyway!)

      Yep..I saw the east was getting it so I'm sure next week, we will have it! We have frigid temps through Tues I guess...then 30's here we come!!

      Have a great weekend too Nicole!

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Thank you so much for stopping and commenting!